For our last day of vacation camp, we spent it at the Putnam Museum in Davenport. This was a museum that PGS visited it's very first year. We returned and were not disappointed. We enjoyed the hands on exhibit of simple machines, the motion exhibit similar to the ICM, the fur trader simulation, and the Egyptian mummies. We spend the most time with air tubes trying to catch the scarves and balls! Check out the photos and videos below!

We learn how the weight is easier to lift the more pulleys there are.

We see how ferrofluid, developed by NASA, is a affected by magnets.

Our favorite spot!

Think they may have gotten this from Nicole!

What a great day in the Amana Colonies! We began our day at the Homestead Church where Lanny gave us a introduction to the Amanas. We learned how the settlers came to Iowa from the Ebenezer Society in New York. These Germans were seeking religious freedom and opportunity. In 1855 they found the area with the Iowa River a good place to extend their communal family. The communal way of living lasted until the 1930's. No money was exchanged, but credit was given to families to shop in their stores. Each member was expected to work for the community and in return they were given housing, supplies, medical & meals cooked and served in communal kitchens. Check out our photos below!

We had a wonderful day being back at the Children's museum! For some of us it had been awhile and boy had we missed it!

Tuesday we traveled to Dubuque to visit the River Museum. We learned all about the Mighty Mississippi and the wildlife it sustains. Our favorite part was petting the sturgeon. Check out what else we did below!

We began Vacation Camp with a day at Laura's. We made our own pizzas for lunch, played in the basement and played Chicago Bears Monopoly. For a few of us, this was our first time. Check out our photos below!

Prairie Green is trying something new this year. Every Friday we are outside all day! How fun...right?! Yes, this fall has been very fun and we are so lucky to have such beautiful weather. There was only one day that it rained on us. However, we were prepared and made temporary shelters before it started raining so we had a dry cozy spot to eat lunch.

This fall we have focused our curriculum around water. We started with understanding the concept of watersheds. Then Nicole taught us a new song about the water cycle while playing her banjo. We talked about bacteria in the water and how our lakes and rivers can become polluted. We made boats out of natural materials and sailed them across the pond. This week will be our last Friday before our two week break and we will finish the unit with a bang! The students made watershed models in preparation for Shanti Sellz to come talk about sustainable farming practices. You may know her as the farmer at Muddy Miss Farms but now she is Johnson County's local foods coordinator. We are so excited to hear what she has to teach us about improving our watersheds!

Author

Laura Wolf is the mother of three children who have attended Prairie Green. Currently, Lucy is in her final year at PGS while her older boys attend West High School. She has also taught grades 3rd-5th and is a media specialist.